Kingdom Hearts IV: Overbearing Light
by XionTheBlackRose
Summary: The Keyblade War has officially ended with Xehanort's death. All looks well as the heroes head home, but another enemy has risen. One never seen before. Not an enemy of darkness, but one of light. This new enemy seeks to destroy all darkness, sending the worlds off balance. It is now up to Sora and friends to save the worlds' darkness from this unusual enemy. (After real KH3}
1. The Stranger In White

_The Keyblade War ended with the fall of Master Xehanort and his army of darkness. With the victory in the Light's hand, the worlds return to perfect harmony among the Light and Dark._

_Light and Darkness live together, always shadowing one another. The balance is what keeps peace, but some will try to ruin this peace; Greedy people want all the Light's power to themselves, others want to use the power of Darkness to consume the worlds and rebuild it in their image. _

_All these things have come and gone, balance always being restored. _

_With Master Xehanort gone, true balance sweeps across the many worlds connected by one sky, under the moon of the great Kingdom Hearts. _

_The worlds become unconnected once again, and friends flee back to their home worlds, where they live in peace. This is what Sora always wanted, ever since the darkness fell over his small, beloved, little world. _

_And now, as the peacefulness settles everywhere, he and his friends Riku and Kairi head home, ready to live the rest of their lives as normal people again. The three friends couldn't be more excited. The war is won, and the battle is over. _

_At least, that's what they thought._

* * *

"Sora, you lazy bum! What are you just lying about for? There's work to be done!" Kairi says, leaning over me as I'm laying on the beach. She giggles and kicks my shoulder playfully, "Get up! Riku'll be here any minute!"

I sigh and sit up, grinning, "Right, right, I'm up, Mom!"

Kairi laughs and shakes her head, "Don't be lazy, you promised to help us set something up for Riku's birthday party! He'll be nineteen, Sora!"

I smirk and pretend to groan, "No one threw me a party on my birthday!"

Kairi stifles a giggle, "That's because we were still fighting when your birthday passed. We'll get you next year. And my birthday isn't for a few months, so you better make me a party, too!"

I shake my head, standing, "Yeah, yeah. So, what's the plan for the party?"

Kairi taps the clipboard she's holding, "Well, the original ideas I had were from when Riku was going to turn sixteen, right before the darkness attacked the Islands. So I had to scrap all that. I had Selphie, Tidus, and Waaka each, secretly, get information on what Riku likes now, so I can plan his birthday party."

"Geeze, Kai, you're doing an awful lot of work," I say.

She nods, "I have to. Riku hasn't had a proper birthday since he turned fifteen. I'm going to fix that."

She smiles and I smile back, "That's really sweet of you. He'll love it, I'm sure."

Her smile widens and her eyes light up, "Thanks! Now pick something to help with!"

I chuckle and shake my head, "Yes Ma'am!"

She smiles and turns, heading up towards the bridge leading back to the city. I sigh and follow her, _I can't believe I'm already eighteen, and Riku's about to be nineteen! Kairi'll be eighteen in a few months, too. Where has our lives gone? Well, that doesn't matter, the past is in the past. We can move on and live our lives again. This is what we've wanted since defeating Xemnas back in The World That Never Was._ I stop and hold out my hand, summoning the Kingdom Key to me. I smile slightly, _This thing helped me through a lot. It's the reason I'm even standing here today. I still can't help but to wonder why it ever chose me, if its true wielder was Riku? _

Kairi turns, confusion showing in her eyes, "Sora? What are you doing? Come on!" then she smiles, "You can plan hero later!"

I laugh and let my Keyblade disappear and I run after her to catch up. I catch her easily, since she was waiting for me, and we make our way back to the city. I turn to her as she's checking over her list, "Where's the party at?"

"It's going to be at the Islands, but I have to pick some stuff up first," she stops and turns fully to me, "On second thought, I want you to stay, okay? I'll pick all the stuff up, it's easier for me, I already know everything I need. I want you there when Selphie, Tidus, and Waaka return to do the setup, they'll tell you what to do. Have it all done by sunset!"

She runs off then and I sigh, smiling, "It's good to be back."

I head back to the beach to wait for the others. Staring out at the sky, night was coming soon. The others have to get here fast, I still have no idea what I'm supposed to be helping them build; Kairi didn't tell me that. I sigh and stick my hands in my pockets as I'm standing on the shore. I glance up at the sky, looking for the stars that are just peeking around the sun. _I wonder how everyone else is doing? We've been back on our Islands for a week now. I miss everyone. I knew this would happen, Riku told me it would._ I smile, "I'm sure they're doing fine, like we are."

I turn at the sound of footsteps, expecting it's Selphie, Tidus, and Waaka, but it's not. Standing near the bridge, moving slowly towards me, is a figure in a white cloak. I frown slightly, ready to summon my Keyblade if I sense trouble from this stranger. But I don't feel anything from him/her, nothing at all. _Who is this?_ The figure stops a few feet from me and speaks, "I've come to see the door to this world."

_All too familiar._ But this person doesn't feel of darkness. The person's voice was soft, yet strong. I'm guessing he's a boy? My frown deepens, "There is no door. All the worlds have been closed off and unconnected."

"Is that so? Hm. Interesting," he replies.

I frown, "Who are you? Why are you here?"

"My name? There's no need for that. I am no harm to you, Wielder of Light. As to why I'm here, I just came to look around," he says.

"What are you looking for?" I ask.

"Nothing right now. I'm just.. Trying to get a feel of things," he replies, turning from me and heading towards the city.

"Hey, wait!" I run after him.

He turns half way to me and smiles, "We'll meet again, Wielder of Light." and then he disappears in a bright flash of light. I gasp and stop, looking around, "What?!"

I groan softly, "What was that about? Who was that? How did he know I'm a Keyblade Wielder? What else could he have meant by 'Wielder of Light?'"

"Yo, Sora!" Waaka calls and I turn and smile, waving, "About time you made it!"

Tidus and Selphie laugh as Waaka gives me an excuse as to why they're late and we walk back onto the beach, Selphie pulling a wagon full of different stuff behind her. _Sunset's approaching fast. _It took us awhile, and we almost didn't have it done in time, but we did it. Kairi came onto the beach, pulling Riku along, blindfolded, and she chats away happily about his birthday.

They get to us, to the structure we built, which somewhat resembles a castle in the fashion of a weird fun house. _Riku really likes this idea? Seriously?_ I didn't help with the inside, so I guess I don't know what else was done with it. Kairi pulls the blindfold off Riku's face and we all yell, "Happy Birthday, Riku!"

Riku looks confused, and then he smiles softly, "Really? You guys.."

"You like it?" Kairi asks.

He nods and she hugs him, "Wonderful!"

Tidus and Waaka challenge Riku to a sword fight with our old wooden swords. I laugh as Kairi and I watch Riku totally destroy them. Kairi smiles at me, "Just like old times."

I smile back, "Yeah. What's the deal with the castle thing?"

"Oh, it's a fun house. We rigged it with cardboard cutouts of heartless and stuff for Riku to smash up," Kairi replies.

I nod, "Sounds cool."

She stares at me and I look back at her, "Kairi?"

"Are you okay?" she asks.

I nod, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You seem... Distracted," she frowns slightly.

I shake my head, "No, I'm not. Really."

I smile and she sighs softly, grinning, "Tell me you don't have another girlfriend in another world?"

I gasp, my face heating up, "No!"

She laughs, "Oh, calm down, Sora, it was a joke!"

I laugh with her and she shakes her head, "So, what's bothering you, then? I could see it in your eyes, you know."

I frown slightly, "Don't tell anyone.. But.."

"Hey, love birds!" Selphie calls, "Come show Riku some manners!"

Riku waves to us, a big grin on his face. It makes me smile, I haven't seen Riku really smile since before the darkness hit the Islands all that time ago. It's no secret Riku can easily take me in a sword fight, but that doesn't stop me from jumping up, running over, taking a sword from Tidus, and taking stance before my best friend. He laughs, a real laugh, and says, "Ready for this? I'm not going easy!"

I grin back, "Wouldn't want you to."

He charges at me and I charge at him, my first mistake. He swings up to hit me in a downswing, but I step out of his way and parry to his left, trying to get his side as he had mine. He jumps from my attack and brings his sword over to my face, knocking me into the dirt. I groan and rub my face, laughing, "Cheater!"

He grins and holds his hand out for me, "Winning isn't cheating, Sora."

I take his hand, my second mistake, and try to hit his face with my sword. He swiftly throw me to the side, side stepping my sword completely, landing me back on the ground. I shake my head and stand, smiling as I get back into stance, "Not done yet."

Riku raises his sword as well, "You will be."

I don't rush at him this time, I wait for him to come to me. He does and I try to fake my attack on him to catch him off guard. I go to his his side again and he steps away. I quickly turn with him and thrust my sword at his chest. It hits, but so does he. When I thrust my sword at him, he brings his up and gets me right in the chest as I had him.

We both stumble back, but don't fall. Riku nods at me, "Great attack plan, but I taught it to you."

I laugh, "Then it's about time the student passed the master!"

Riku's grin never fails to widen, "Just try."

I laugh, knowing I'll never be able to surpass him, and raise my sword for the final spar. Riku's smug smile lets me know he's been playing with me. I knew he was, he always is. He never goes all out in sparing with me. I'm too easy for him to beat. Well, I used to be. I've been going easy, too. It's time to see how far I can push until one of us wins. What Riku doesn't know is that I've gotten stronger, too. Even when we sparred before the Keyblade War to get ourselves ready, we never went all out. There wasn't a point. Still isn't one now, but hey, it's his birthday. I'm going to give him a challenge.


	2. Threat Against Darkness

The sun had long since set and Riku and I finally stop our sparing, Riku having bested me for the fifth time tonight. Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie went home hours ago, and it's just me, Kairi, and Riku left, celebrating. I can't blame them for leaving, since it's getting late, but we're still here, together. Kairi glances at her watch, "It's only just now eleven."

"Feels later," Riku smirks and stretches his arms over his head.

Kairi nods, "It really does."

I nod my agreement, mind traveling elsewhere again. I don't know if they catch it or not, but I can't keep my mind off the figure in the white cloak I saw earlier. He said he was here to see the door to our world, but it's shut now, so why bother? All of the worlds are shut and disconnected as they were before the darkness started traveling the very first time.

"Sora?"

I turn at the sound of my name to see Kairi and Riku staring at me. I blink, "What?"

"You okay?" Riku asks.

"You seem kind of out of it," Kairi adds, "Are you tired?"

I shake my head, _I have to tell them_, and take a deep breath, "You guys.."

"Sora?" Kairi asks again. She looks worried, and so does Riku.

I look both my friends in the eye, "Earlier today, before I helped Wakka and the others build the fun house, I saw someone down here. I couldn't see their face, because they had a hood covering it. The guy was wearing a white cloak, and he said he was here to 'get a feel of things,' that he was looking for the door to this world. I told him the door was closed, that they all were and he said he'd see me again and he disappeared. But.. Right before he disappeared in a flash of light, he called me a wielder of light. He knew I'm a Keyblade Wielder."

Neither Riku nor Kairi speak for a moment. I wait, watching them, eager to know their thoughts on my encounter. Kairi's the first to speak, "Is this what you tried to tell me earlier?"

I nod and turn to Riku, wanting his answer. He's staring at me and I stare back, "Riku?"

He frowns, running a hand through his hair, "If what you saw was right, then we might have a problem on our hands."

"So, what do we do?" Kairi asks.

Riku shakes his head, "I'm not sure. But if this cloaked figure is an enemy, we need to warn people, and soon."

"How?" I ask.

"We have to send a message, we don't have any way to leave the islands right now," he replies.

"You're right, but how are we supposed to do that?" I ask.

"The water!" Kairi says.

"What?" Riku and I say in unison.

"The water," she replies, "when I couldn't remember you, I sent you a message, and it somehow found you in that place you were before coming home again after killing Xemnas. And the letter King Mickey wrote us, it came here just a few days after you did. The water can find who we're looking for. We can send The King the letter and he'll find a way to warn everyone else!"

"That's perfect!" I reply, jumping up, "Riku! Do you still ave the bottle the King's message came in?"

He nods and I continue, "Go get it, I'll write a letter to King Mickey, telling him everything I saw and we'll send it to him. He'll be able to send us some help, warn the other worlds, find this guy, something at the very least."

Riku nods, "Right," and he runs off. Kairi and I follow, and I notice she keeps staring at me. I frown lightly and stop walking. She stops a step ahead of me and turns my way, "Sora?"

"Something's bothering you," I say, seeing the tears forming in her eyes.

She sighs and wraps her arms around herself, "It's just... After you killed Xehanort, I thought things would be different. That we'd get to live the rest of our lives like normal, but now.. It's just not fair that we have to keep fighting like this. It hasn't even been a month, and we already have a new enemy to face."

I step up and hug her, "Kairi, you know what it means to be a Keyblade Wielder. We're meant to protect the worlds, it's what we were chosen for. Everything will be okay. I'll never let anything happen to you, or to Riku. And besides, once King Mickey gets our letter, he'll send us some to help us with this, probably Aqua and Ventus."

She nods, hugging me back, her tears hitting my back, "You're right."

I hold her like this until she composes herself, which doesn't take long. Once she's okay again, we head for my house. When we get there, the door's unlocked, so we go right in. I head to my room, Kairi just behind me, and I quickly write out the letter. I describe everything I saw, everything he said, all of it. I finish that and roll the letter up, and we run to meet Riku at his house, but he stops us half way.

"Got the letter?" he asks.

I nod, handing it to him. As he takes the letter, Kairi takes the cork off the bottle since his hands are full. He quickly drops the letter in and takes the cork from Kairi. Putting the cork back in the bottle top, we head back for the islands. Once we get there, Riku sends the bottle into the waves. Please, find the King quickly. I send up my little prayer. After the bottle drifts from our eyes, we stare at each other awkwardly, not knowing what to do now that the mood has been destroyed by my news.

"Sorry, Riku," I rub the back of my neck sheepishly, "I kind of ruined your birthday."

Riku sighs, shaking his head, "No, you didn't. My birthday was great, thanks to you and Kairi. I haven't had that much fun in way to long. So, thank you both."

I smile softly and so does Kairi, her face reddening lightly. He smiles back and sighs, "We should go home and get some sleep, it's almost midnight."

He's right, of course, but that doesn't mean any of us move. We all start laughing at the fact that he told us to go home, but none of us, not even him, moved. After we stopped laughing, we did walk home together. Riku left us first, then Kairi, and I make my way home alone. The front door is still unlocked, so I slip in unnoticed, and lock the door behind me. I quietly go to my room and get in bed. I fall asleep as soon as I close my eyes.

* * *

"Sora! Wake up!" Mom calls from downstairs.

I yawn and sit up, "Coming!"

I quickly rush down the stairs, "Something wrong?"

"Nice jammies," Riku snickers.

I frown, looking down at the same clothes I had on last night. I glare at Riku, "not funny, dude."

He chuckles, "I made you look, didn't I?"

I roll my eyes, "What are you, five?"

He shakes his head, grinning, "Morning to you, too."

I sigh, "What's with coming here so early?"

"Ten O' clock is early?" he asks,

I roll my eyes again, "Yeah, yeah, what do you want?"

He suddenly becomes serious, "Kairi found a letter this morning."

"From The King?" I ask.

He shrugs, "I don't know. She just called me and told me to bring you down to the islands, that she has a letter."

"Okay, let's go," I turn and hug my mom, "See you later."

"Oh, uh.. Okay. Bye, sweetie," she says, and as we're headed out the door she calls for us to be careful.

After promising that I will, Riku and I race down to the islands to see what Kairi found. We find her at the shore and I speak first, "From the King?"

She shakes her head, "It doesn't have his seal."

"Then who's is it?" Riku asks.

She shrugs, "I waited for you two before I opened it so we could read it together."

"So let's open it now," I say, taking the bottle from her.

She let's me have it easily and I pop the top and dump the letter into my hand. Unrolling it, I read aloud, "'Light has no fear, but the dark must beware, for their end is near. Those wrapped in dark will take their last breath, for they will be forever folded in the arms of death. All dark hearts of feeble or might, will fall before the power of light. Light leaves no hiding places for the dark, when the curtain of sky goes up, darkness will die.'"

"It's a threat?" Kairi frowns. "It has to be a threat."

"Is it signed by anyone?" Riku asks.

I scan the page and frown, "Just 'H.'"

"H?" Kairi shakes her head, "That makes no sense."

"A threat is still a threat. Whoever this 'H' is, they're threatening everyone with darkness in their hearts, which includes innocent people," Riku says, "Which means it's our job to protect those people by stopping this guy."

"It has to be the guy I saw, and if he really means this, he'd have sent it to every world. No wonder he was looking for the door!" I say.

"He has to be stopped. As soon as King Mickey returns our letter, we'll make a plan to bring this man down," Riku says, and there's no stopping him now that he's in "leader" mode.

Suddenly there's a soft chuckle behind us. We all turn at once to see the man in white standing across the beach, smiling (smirking?) at us. We stare at him and he stares back. No one moves and finally he speaks, "So you've found my letter."

"It was you," I growl.

"What coward won't sign a name to their threat?" Kairi snorts.

"I did give the letter a name, and that is all you need to know, Princess of Heart," he replies.

Kairi stiffens at the mention of her title, "How did you know that's what I am?"

"I can see everything about you, about the power of light that runs through you," he replies, and then he turns to me, "And of you, Chosen One. I can see the light that keeps you going, I can see the power that was never meant to be yours, yet you wear it so well," and finally he turns to Riku, "And I can see what you're failing to become. I can see the shred of hope that won't save you now. Most of all, I can see the darkness that you are, the impurity that you've become."

Riku stiffens and glares, and I'm not too happy either. Kairi steps forward, Keyblade suddenly in hand, "You know nothing about us! How about you leave, since you've obviously overstayed whatever welcome you _thought_ you had!"

H holds his hands up as if in surrender and he backs away a few steps, chuckling, "No matter. This little spat won't be for long, I assure you. I will be seeing you three again, and Dark One, you'll be the first to meet death."

"You want to kill me, go ahead and try!" Riku summons his blade and runs at H. I call after him but he can't hear me now. Kairi runs after him and I follow, Kingdom Key now in hand.

H shakes his head, "Not this time, I'm afraid," and he disappears. Riku stops and growls, "I'll kill him next time."

Kairi relaxes and lets her Keyblade go, sighing, "This isn't going to be a good summer like I'd hoped."


	3. No Permission

"Riku, it's okay," I say.

He shakes his head, pacing, "It isn't. I lost my cool, and I could have gotten you two hurt. It was stupid of me."

"It's okay. H struck a nerve. It's okay, Riku, really," Kairi tries.

Again, he shakes his head, "It was stupid and I won't be making that mistake again. I can't afford mistakes like that. It's a good way to get killed."

I sigh, "Stop blaming yourself for a moment of weakness, Riku. Everyone has one, it's nothing to be ashamed of. No one got hurt, so no one's at fault. We'll get a letter from The King soon, and then we'll be able to formulate a plan and take H down."

He frowns, "I don't know how you're able to be so calm in times like this."

I smile and shake my head, "I've made mistakes, too. Bigger ones than this. Riku, everything'll be just fine. You just have to keep your head."

He sighs and finally stops pacing, "Fine. You're right."

I nod and smile at him some more, "We'll stop this guy. Everything'll be fine."

He shrugs, running a hand through his hair, "If you say so."

"I do," I grin, "So stop sulking and man up!"

He glares at me and I grin back. After a few moments, Riku starts laughing, causing Kairi and I to laugh as well. Riku sighs and shakes his head, "You really are something else."

I bow, "It's what I do."

Kairi giggles, then gasps, "Guys, look!"

We turn to her to see her pointing to the ocean. The longer I stare, the more I can see a bottle floating our way.

"That must be the letter from The King!" I gasp.

We stand at shore and wait for the bottle to get to us. Once it does, I pick it up first. I open the bottle and take the paper out. Unfolding it, I read aloud:

_ "Dear Sora, Riku, and Kairi. _

_I have received your letter, and am working to find anything I can about this figure in white. Someone seeking the entry ways between worlds can't be a good thing. As I've researched, I can't find any record of a 'figure in white' ever lurking around. Until now, that is. Your letter isn't' the only one I've gotten requesting information, or for something to be done about this stranger._

_The figure in white had approximately visited three worlds before yours. He hasn't done anything, just look around, but it's making people uneasy. And then Donald found a letter in the court yard, he thought it was from you guys. It was a threat against the darkness! In all my years, I've never seen or heard of such a thing! But if this 'H' person is for real, and has the power to back up his threats, we could be in great danger._

_The worlds are balanced between light and dark, one cannot exist without the other. If the worlds become unbalanced, the entire universe could destroy itself! This 'H' will have to be dealt with, but I'm not sure how, given he has yet to attack. As of now, writing this letter, I am sending someone out to bring you three back here to me. We must discuss everything and formulate a plan. And there are other things about the balance, and the worlds, that you three don't yet know. _

_See you soon!_

_Your dear friend, King Mickey" _

Riku frowns, "So H has been to other places, and we're not the only ones to get his letter, either."

"Who's coming to get us? When?" Kairi asks.

"Well, if the letter just got here, and it was sent the same time or after, someone was sent to us, they should be here any minute," I reply, running a hand through my hair, "What about the balance and the worlds don't we know?"

"I guess we'll figure it out when we get to King Mickey's." Riku states.

Kairi nods, "Riku's right."

I frown, "Should we tell our parents what's going on? And why we're leaving?"

"I think we should," Kairi replies.

Riku shakes his head, "Tell our parents, who got us back a month ago, that we're leaving? I don't think so. They might try to stop us."

"That just means they care," Kairi crosses her arms, "We should tell them, Riku."

"They'll stop us. We can't," Riku says, crossing his arms.

I frown, "You're both kind of right.."

They stare at me and I scratch my head, "Uh.. I mean.. Kairi, you're right. They should know what's going on, but Riku's right, too. They might try to keep us from going. If we do tell them, they have to know why we have to go. They have to know the danger of not coming back, and they have to know why we're the ones who have to go. We were chosen for this."

Riku nods, uncrossing his arms, "Sora's the one who's right."

Kairi smiles, "So we tell, but we explain why we can't stay."

I nod, "Alright. If Mickey's got someone coming to get us, we should tell our parents now, so we can be ready when they get here for us."

They agree with me, and so we head home. I go inside to find my parents talking in the living room.

"I'm telling you, something's different," Dad was saying.

"Different how?" Mom asks.

I stay by the wall connecting the living room and kitchen and listen, out of sight.

"Sora's not like himself. He hasn't been since he got back from... Wherever it was he went for two years. He was still the same when he came back the first time. And then he had to go again because some king needed him to. He didn't come back for almost another year! He hasn't been the same since he got back. He doesn't talk to us as much as he used to. He's always out with those friends of his," Dad says.

"He's grown up with them, going on those adventures of theirs. Whatever they're involved with, it's bigger than just us," Mom replies.

"I don't care how big it is, he doesn't need to be leaving again. Every time he leaves he doesn't come back for months, years! And just a month ago, he and his friends almost died!" Dad was getting angry.

I frown, but listen. Mom sighs, "You can't just lock him in his room for the rest of his life. He's told you, he has to do what's right for the sake of everyone in all the worlds."

"That's crazy, different worlds," Dad groans, "It's hard to believe."

"I believe him," Mom replies, "And you should, too. He's showed you that key thing he and Riku and Kairi use to fight then, uh.. Darkness.

"It's crazy. If it wasn't Sora telling us all this, I'd have him sent to get some help," Dad sits on the couch and Mom sits beside him, "You don't mean that. You're just worried about him."

Dad sighs, putting a hand to his forehead, "You're right.. It's just so much.."

She hugs him, "I know, sweetie."

I bite my lip, _How can I tell them I'm leaving now? I'd break their hearts.. That's the last thing I'd want to do. And I've already done it before, with going to Yen Sid for the exam, and then not coming back because of the battle with Xehanort. And now I'm leaving again.. _

I sigh, _It has to be done_, and I come into the living room, "Mom.. Dad.."

They look at me and Dad frowns, but Mom smiles, "Afternoon, dear. Did you find what you were looking for with Kairi?"

I nod, "Yeah.. We got a letter from The King. We have to go away again. The worlds-"

Dad cuts me off by standing and yelling, "Absolutely not! I won't let you walk off to your death again!"

I wince, "Dad, I-"

"No! Sora, you need to be here, working on making something of yourself, not running off for this mess! Let someone else take your place, you're staying here!" Dad says.

I shake my head, "Dad, you don't understand! They need me! All the people in the worlds, they need me! My friends and I are the only ones who can save them!"

"Your friends can do whatever it is, you are staying here and that's final!" Dad says, throwing his arms up.

I shake my head again, "Dad, my friends need me, too! I was chosen by the Keyblade to protect the worlds from harm and I won't fail them!"

I can't let him keep me here, "I have a duty to them and I'm going. Riku, Kairi, and I are going as soon as the King's friends come get us."

He shakes his head this time, "You're going nowhere. You... You're grounded! Go to your room!"

"No! You can't keep me here, I have to help my friends!" I turn and run from the house. My parents call after me, but I keep running. I keep running until I get back to the island shore, and I'm alone. I take a few moments to recollect myself; catch my breath, wipe the forming tears from my eyes. _I never expected them to act this way. What would happen if they really kept me from going? Could they seriously do that? I don't want to find out. _

I bite my bottom lip and stand straight, closing my eyes, "No matter what happens, I can't leave my friends to fight this new enemy alone."

I sigh and look around for any sign of Riku and Kairi, hoping their confession goes better than mine did. Deciding to wait for them, I go and sit on the old bent tree. Staring at the midday sun, I feel a sense of peace wash over me. I smile at this feeling, and I close my eyes as the wind blows past me. _It's been awhile since I've felt this. I hope I'll be able to feel it again someday. _

I open my eyes and frown, turning to see H come out of a portal behind me. I narrow my eyes at him, "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

He smiles lightly, "I come with a preposition. You are the light's chosen one, so the light within you is strong. I want you to join me, Sora. Together we can rule the worlds for the light. We can keep the peace and keep the darkness where it belongs; Nonexistent."

I frown more, jumping off the tree, "Did you honestly think I'd join you? You, who threatened my best friend's life? You threatened everything in existence! No, H, I'm not joining you. You may fight for the light, but you fight for the wrong reasons."

H frowns and shakes his head, "Perhaps I can persuade you another time."

"Unlikely," I say.

Again, he shakes his head, then disappears in a flash of light.

"Sora!" Kairi runs towards me.

I turn to her and wave, seeing Riku running behind her. They get to me and Kairi gasps, "I saw H! Are you okay?!"

I nod, "I'm fine, he just.. He wanted to talk."

"What about?" Riku asks.

"He... Wanted me to join him," I reply.

Riku stiffens and I respond quickly, "I refused of course! H is crazy if he thinks I'd ever desert my friends for stupid promises from my enemy."

Kairi sighs, "I hope King Mickey's friends get here soon."

"Me, too," Riku runs a hand through his hair.

I scratch my arm absently, "That makes three of us.."


	4. So It Begins

"Are you mad at me?" I ask Riku as we get on the gumi ship with Donald and Goofy.

Riku sighs, sitting down, "What makes you think that?"

I frown, sitting behind him, "Because you won't look at me, and you just look _mad_."

He shakes his head, turning his head towards me, "I'm not angry with you, Sora. So chill."

My frown deepens, "Then what's wrong?"

"It's nothing," he stares forward.

I lean back, crossing my arms, "Right.."

* * *

"We're here!" Kairi gasps as we land in the courtyard of Mickey's home.

We all stand and follow Donald and Goofy out. As we walk, Goofy turns to me, "I've really missed ya, Sora."

I smile, "I've missed you, too. Donald, also, of course. How is everyone?"

"We're doing good," Donald says ahead of us.

I nod, "Good."

We follow them to King Mickey's office. Seeing Mickey again is great. I smile at him and he smiles back, "Welcome."

"How have you been, Your Majesty?" Kairi asks.

"Well," he sighs, "That is until I learned of that person in white."

"Sorry," I say, smiling sheepishly.

Mickey shakes his head, smiling again, "Don't be."

I nod, "So.. You said you have information for us?"

He nods then, "I do. As you know, there are many worlds connected through the sky, but that's not all. As there are worlds bathed in light, there are worlds bathed in darkness. These worlds, I fear, are in terrible danger. These particular worlds mirror the ones we know, and as our worlds of light have the seven Princesses of Heart, the dark worlds have the seven Princes of Heartless."

I gasp, "You can't be serious."

"I am. And I've never mentioned these worlds before because they had nothing to do with what was going on at the time. These worlds remain hidden, because, while still being dark, have no want of the light. They don't want to cause trouble, they just want to be left to their own devices. They enjoy the shadows of light. I've visited only two of these worlds, I can't stay long, the air there is thick with darkness. It's suffocating," Mickey explains.

I frown, "So what are we going to do?"

"We protect them. If H is going to destroy all darkness, those worlds will die. We have to do something, _anything_, to keep the worlds safe. Darkness or not, no world deserves to just disappear," Kairi says, clearly getting worked up, "Any life is still a life to be lived!"

"We know, and we'll do what we can," Riku replies calmly, "As protectors of the worlds, we can't leave even _those_ worlds unnoticed. We protect _all_ worlds as Keyblade Masters."

"It'll be hard to get to those worlds, and possibly harder to get back. And the worlds are filled with darkness, light can't last too long in such thick dark atmospheres," Mickey warns.

"How are we going to survive, then?" I ask.

"I believe we can help with that."

We turn to see Aqua and Ventus come into the room. I smile and wave, "It's been awhile!"

Aqua smiles, "A few weeks is awhile?"

"To Sora it is," Riku grins.

I smack him and he laughs. Kairi giggles, then turns her attention back to the our friends "What brings you here?"

Ventus gestures to Mickey, "He sent for us. Something about the worlds being in impending doom again."

I snicker, "Something like that."

"Isn't it always?" he laughs.

Mickey chuckles, "Right, did you get the papers I sent you on the Worlds of Dark?"

Aqua nods, "Yes. Quite a lot of information here."

"Care to fill us in?" Riku asks.

She nods and pulls some papers from a bag slung over her shoulder, "The Worlds of Dark mirror the Worlds of Light, and as there are the Lighted Seven, there are the Darkened Seven. The only way to get to the Worlds of Dark are through a secret corridor hidden within the Worlds of Light. Unfortunately, these corridors have never been found, save for two. The Worlds of Dark are filled with darkness, the atmosphere is suffocating to the light, as the light is to the darkness. These worlds are the original true creator of Heartless. While Ansem the Wise had found a way to bring them to our worlds, opening the rifts between worlds, the Heartless belong to the Dark Worlds.

Through the rifts Ansem created by bringing Heartless here, we can get to the other worlds. There we have to find the Darkened Seven. Though Heartless attack the light by instinct, attacking the Heartless there will offend the Princes, and we won't be able to reason with them. The only way to survive the darkness there is to adorn the Dark Pendant on us at all times, it will protect us from the dark atmosphere. It will also cloak our light to the people and creatures of the darkness. It's our safest bet to survive and keep the Princes favors. And finally, through there are many Worlds of Dark, only the Seven need to be protected, because no matter how many worlds are destroyed, they can always come back as long as at least one Darkened Seven are alive to recreate them; people and all."

"Whoa.." I mutter.

"So, you have these pendants?" Riku asks.

"Courtesy of Master Yen Sid," Ventus smiles, pulling five Heartless sigil shaped pendants from a bag attached to his belt.

"Will they really protect us from the darkness?" Kairi asks.

"Supposed to," Ventus shrugs, "Only one way to find out."

He hands us each one, and we pin them to our shirts, as do Aqua and Ventus. We turn to Mickey as he speaks, "I'm sorry I won't be going with you, but I will keep in touch; tell you anything I find out about H and if I can, give you his whereabouts."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Aqua says, "Come on, you three. We're going to the rifts already known of first, then we'll find the others."

We say goodbye to the king, and follow Aqua and Ventus out of the castle. They activate their armor and gliders, and so do we. I look to Aqua, since she has all the information, "Where to first?"

"Hmm," she taps her helmet, "According to the king's notes, the first rift he found came from the Enchanted Dominion."

"Maleficent's home? Great, no way she'll let us just walk around," Riku groans.

"Is she even alive?" Ventus asks.

"Last I saw of her, she was locked to the Dark Forest of the Enchanted Dominion," Aqua replies.

I nod, "Good enough for me, let's find that rift and make our way through to the Dark Worlds!"

We shoot off into the Space Between, heading for the Enchanted Dominion. It doesn't take us long to get there, and when we do, all seems quiet. We let our gliders and armor disappear when we land. Aqua immedietly starts walking towards the castle in the distance. We follow, guessing the rift is there if we're going that way. The walk is silent, we don't speak, and nothing makes noise of notice.

I frown, "It's too.. Quiet."

"I know," Riku says, looking around, "I don't even hear birds or anything. Not animals, not people."

"Are we too late?" Kairi asks.

Ven frowns, "No, I can still feel the darkness of this world."

Suddenly the ground beneath our feet shakes violently. Kairi cries out, knocked to the ground by the shaking. I fall, as does Ventus, but somehow, Riku and Aqua manage to barely stay standing as the shaking stops. But no sooner than it stops, cracks shoot across the ground. Kairi, Ventus, and I stand quickly.

"What's going on?!" Kairi gasps.

"The darkness is being drained from the world!" Ventus replies, looking panicked as the sky above us shines brighter.

Riku shields his eyes with a soft groan. All the colors of the world seem to be brightening. _We're too late!_ I follow the way the darkness is being pulled, I'm not sure how I can feel it now, but I follow it. My friends call after me, but I don't stop. _I'm too far behind!_ I race by faster, trying to seize the darkness somehow before it can evade me. _I never thought I'd be fighting to save the darkness. I have to get to the beginning of the pull before it's too late to stop H from unbalancing this world! So close...! _

"H!" I yell, running faster as the familiar figure in white comes into view not too far before me.

He turns to me, his arm held over his head, palm open, as the darkness of the world lifts from the ground in a ring around him, and goes into his hand. He smiles lightly, "Sora."

I stop a few feet in front of him, Keyblade now in hand, "Release the darkness!"

"Now, _why_ would I do that? After going to all the trouble of gathering it here. Isn't it beautiful now? With all this darkness disappearing, this world is so full of _light_," he says.

I gasp as the world shakes again, the cracks becoming crevices in the ground, slowly widening until it starts creating chasms. I gasp, "You're going to kill this world and everything in it!"

He shakes his head, "I am _cleansing_ it anew. Once this filth is gone, the world can recreate itself, in light."

"That's _insane_. You're making this world to be unlivable. You're _killing_ people!" I say.

"Darkness within people is _horrid_. It makes even the _best_ of friends become betrayals, am I right? _Riku?_" H's smile grows.

I gasp and turn to see Riku leading our group of four to where I stand before our enemy. Riku stops dead, hands clenched, eyes narrowed and piercing. He summons his Keyblade and growls, "You don't know anything about me."

H chuckles, "I know _everything_ about you. Must we go through this every time we meet? I know _all_ about the tempt of darkness on your heart. I know _all_ about how you stole the princess and tried to kill the Light's Chosen."

Riku shakes lightly and Kairi frowns, "Stop bullying him!"

The world shakes again and Riku gasps, falling to his knees. I gasp, "Riku?!" I turn to H, "What are you _doing_ to him?!"

H laughs lightly, "Don't you _see_, Sora? This world is _affecting_ him. Without the darkness of the worlds, he _cannot_ be. His heart is _forever_ a _slave_ to the _darkness_, and there's your _proof_. The light left behind is harming him. He's just as _infected_ as the rest of the poor souls_ trapped within the dark!_ I shall _free_ them all!"

"_Stop!_" Kairi's Keyblade is in her hands in a second, and she runs at H. I call for her as she runs right past me. She swings her blade at H, causing him to jump away, releasing what little darkness is left in this world. She keeps on him, swinging her blade over and over, trying for a hit. H shoots light at her, knocking her back, but not damaging her. H then summons a Keyblade of his own. This Keyblade is fashioned like a sword, with a gold hilt that resembles a dragon head with an eye in the center. The blade is crystal clear blue with jagged edges with a golden wing at the top as the teeth of the Keyblade.

"A Keyblade?!" I gasp, running up to Kairi, to help her fight.

H grins, "I call it Way to Salvation, you like it?"

_It looks like Riku's.._ "Where did you get a Keyblade like that?" I ask.

"I created it from my light. Now, if you plan to stand in my way, Chosen One, then you will _feel_ the _true_ power of _light!_" H's Keyblade glows in light and he gets in a stance just like Riku's stance, his entire body glowing in light as well. I get in my stance, as does Kairi. I turn to my right to see Ventus and Aqua beside me, also in their battle stances. What I don't see worries me more than the enemy before me. _Where's Riku?_


	5. Fall In Different Ways

I quickly duck out of the way of H's attack, while Kairi moves in to strike. H smirks and smacks her Keyblade right from her hand. She gasps and stumbles back. Ven and Aqau close in from different sides. H moves at a speed I have never seen, it's not teleporting, he's just _fast_. He slashes across Ven's armor, throwing Ventus yards back. He then turns and locks blades with Aqua. I run in for an attack while he's busy with Aqua, but he uses his free hand and shoot light at me, The light sends me flying back. I quickly recover, noticing the light does little damamge to my armor, but it makes me feel weird, _What did he just do to me? _

I land quickly, and head back to the fight. I catch up to Kairi and we rush in to attack H together. Aqua shoots ice at H, but he creates a shield of light around himself, making her spell invalid. She groans and runs up to attack him when he drops the shield. She strieks at him, but he jumps out of the way before her attack can hit. Just as he jumps away, Ventus runs up behind him and stabs H right in the back. H cries out in pain and shoots Ventus with light, knocking him away from H. H groans softly, holding his stomach, where red slowly soaks the stomach of his white cloak.

He turns and glares at Ventus, "You fool, you've wounded me! You will pay."

Suddenly, he glows in light again, and these creatures that look like Heartless, only in a lightened form, shoot from his body. He brings his blade up and points it at the sky, "I will destroy this world, and you Keyblade Wielders along with it!"

"Look out!" Aqua cries as light is shot intot he sky, and then falls around us like rain.

I gasp as a light drop falls on myshoulder and bruns right through my armer, hitting my skin. I cry out at the sudden pain and wipe at the light, but it sinks into my skin, making me feel weak.

"We have to go! We'll die here!" I hear Aqua yell, summonging her Rider. Kairi sumons hers as well, dodging light drops quickly, crazily driving through the air. I quickly summon my Rider and look around for Riku. I find him back where he had fallen, a shield of darkness slowly diminishing under the rain of toxic light._ I have to help him, in his state, that light will kill him!_

A few more light drops hit me and burn through my armor as I move towards Riku, flying quickly,_ I need to get him out of here! Now! _

"Riku!" I call to him, holding my hand out for him as I hover by his side, "Come on, we can't stay here!"

He shakes his head, "I can't... Not like... This... I can't..."

"Stop that! Stop saying you can't! We're getting out of here!" I reach for him, a light drop burning through the back of my armor.

I groan softly and try to get through Riku's dark shield, but the moment I touch the darkness, it burns me. I pull my arm back, "Riku... Please... Come with us..."

I can feel tears spill down my face, I didn't know they had formed. Riku shakes his head, "I can't..."

I place a shield of light around me to protect myself from the acid light rain. I frown, _Why ddin't I think to do that earlier? _I shake my head, "Riku, don't give up on us. Please, just come with me. Once we get you out of this world and back to a world more balanced, you'll feel better. I promise, please, Riku... I can't do all this without you."

"Sora... I _can't!_" Riku slowly stands, wobbily, his hair flying around in a breeze I don't feel, dark specks flying all around him.

My eyes widen, I gasp, "R-Riku...?"

Riku shakes his head slowly, "Sora... This is.. The only way... I can stay here... Releasing some darkness.. From my heart... Keeps me... From fading..."

I shake my head now, "Riku, take it back! Lock it away! It's too dangerous to release any of it! What about Ansem?! You may have killed him, but you said yourself that the small piece of him that still resides in your heart can still influence you. I dont' want to lose you.."

"Go, Sora..." he says, "This is how it has to be. Leave me here."

"I won't!" I say, casting a sleep spell on him. He falls to the ground, his shield of darkness disappearing. I quickly get him on my Rider, and I fly as fast as I can make my Rider go, out of the Enchanted Dominion. _Just hang on, Riku! We'll save you, I promise! _

* * *

I get back log after the others do, and I lug Riku through the castle corridors, shouting for my friends. Eveyone comes running into the corridor, Mickey in front of them, "Sora?!"

"Your Majesty! Riku needs help! H drained most of the darkness in the Enchanted Dominion and it hurt Riku! To survive in what was left of the darkness in that world, he released some of the darkness he had locked in his heart, it.. It changed him, please, he needs help!" I cry, lying Riku down on the floor.

Everyone gets around Riku as I hit my shoulder, deactivating my armor. King Mickey frowns, "This isn't good.."

"Can you help him?" I ask.

"Maybe.." he says, "But it won't be easy. He'd have to re-lock the darkness into his heart, and I'm guessing he refused when you told him to do so?"

I nod and he continues, "Makes sense. The darkness changes people, even just a little. His internal instinct is to adapt to the changes in the tides of darkness, so it makes sense that he would try to convult to what little darkness keeping him alive. With that world at such an unbalanced state, and Riku's darkness reacting to the threat of disappearance, he'd have to result to changing himself to stay alive. Getting him back the way he was... That won't be easy if he won't do it voluntarily."

"How do we save him, then?" Kairi asks, worry clear in her eyes.

King Mickey meets her worried gaze with a stern one, "Someone would have to go into his heart and re-lock the darkness from within. It's the only way."

"Who could do that? How?" I ask.

He looks at me then, "It would have to be you, since you and Riku share such a bond as you do, and he's gone into the dreams of your heart to save you, going into his heart to save him would only make the bond of friendship between you two a lot stronger."

I nod slowly, "I'll do whatever will save him from destroying himself."

"That could take some time, and the preparations will take longer. We just don't have time right now. You and the others have to find a way to the dark worlds before H does, and creates more ruin to the Balance," Mickey replies, "I can keep Riku stable in a state of sleep. It'll keep the darkness from leaking further from his heart, and give us time to prepare to send you in. Until I have all the preparations done, work for the worlds."

"Yes, Your Majesty," I say, turning towards the door, "Come on, guys, we have to go. Our time's running out.."

"Sora.." Kairi says, laying a gentle hand on my shoulder.

I turn to her and she smiles softly, "Everyone will be saved. I promise."

I stare into her eyes, "Kairi.. Can you promise Riku's safety? Because.. I can't."

I move away from her then and head out to the courtyard, summoning my armor and Rider. I wait for them to do the same, "Coming?"

I look away from Kairi's sad expression and turn to Aqua, "Where was the second rift?"

"Wonderland," she replies.

I shoot off, "To Wonderland it is, then!"

* * *

We land in Wonderland and look around for any sign of corruption. Aqua is the first to speak, unsummoning her armor and Rider, "I guess H isn't here yet."

"That'll give us some time to find this rift into the Dark World of Wonderland, at the least," ventus says, following her actions.

Kairi unsummons her armor and Rider as I do, and she walks over to me. I keep away from her gaze, but I can still feel her eyes on me. She wraps her hand in mine, "You'll save him. Maybe the King can even get him to come back to his senses and he'll meet us along the way."

"You think..?" I look at her now and she smiles, nodding, "I believe."

I nod and we follow Aqua as she reads from a paper silently. Ven jogs up to her from our Kairi and I, "Do you know where the rift is, does the paper say?"

She nods, pushing some hair from her face, "It says that the rift is in the darkest corner of the Wonderland woods. Something about dark in the most obvious, but difficult to find place."

"We're already in the woods, so let's pair up and shout if we find it?" Ven suggests.

Aqua smiles at him, "Good idea, Ven. Hey, Princess!"

She laughs and waves to Kairi and I. We join our friends a few feet ahead of us and Kairi smiles, tilting her head, "Yes?"

"You're searching with me, okay? Someone as light as you should be able to find the rift easily," Aqua replies.

Kairi nods, "Okay."

Ven smiles at me, "Guess it's you and me, then."

I shrug, smiling lightly, "Fine by me."

After a little while of searching, I try for conversation with Ventus, and I can't think of what to say, so I start with, "So, uh.."

Ven raises an eyebrow, "What?"

"Who's Terra?" I ask, "I heard Aqua reference to him a few times, but.."

"You don't know who he is," Ven sighs, something passing through his eyes, "He was.. A really good friend. He was like an older brother to me. He was corrupted by the darkness, and Xehanort used his weakness to turn him away from us. By the time Terra realized he had been fooled.. It was too late. The Terra we knew, he was lost to us. Aqua knows more about what happened to him after I went to sleep, you'd have to ask her."

"I've tried," I say, "She always says he was an important person to her, and for me to leave her alone."

Again, ven sighs, "She's like that sometimes. Terra's loss.. Hit her the worse, I think.."

I frown, _Why am I so stupid? It's obvious he doesn't wan to talk about that. It'd be like me losing Riku with no hope of ever seeing him again. I wouldn't want to talk about it either._

"I'm sorry," I sigh, "I'm being inconsiderate."

Ven smiles, "Don't worry about it. Think of it this way, Terra, to me, is like Riku to you."

_Thought so._ I nod, "Right."

We continue to look for the rift and I venture further away from Ven, deeper into the shadows of the woods. I run my had along the walls, since I can't really see around me now. I groan, "I have to go back, find Ven. I can't keep messing up, people will get hurt."

I pull away from the wall and sigh, staring into the darkness, "What if I can't save him? What then? I can't just let him..."

I groan softly and hit the wall, only my hand goes right through it. I gasp as I start to fall forward with the momentum I tried to hit the wall with. Before I know, I'm falling through a tunnel of darkness. I call out for my friends, my voice echoes, but I doubt I'm heard. I try to recover, so I can land on my feet, but I have no such luck. I hit the ground face down. I cough black dirt and sit up. I look around, but everything's dark. I see the same Wonderland appearance, but it's different. The flowers are dead, the grass moves in a breeze I don't feel. I gasp, seeing Heartless shift about, but none of them seem to notice me at all. I slowly stand, trying to see past the darkness making this world so dark. I see a faint purple light, and I follow it. Upon the path leading to the light, I start to see people that look like shadows off a wall. They have eyes like Heartless, and their mouths hold sharp pointed teeth. They speak to one another in whispers I can't make out. No one notices me as I walk by. I finally get to the light, and see a courtroom of red velvet and purple paint. Shadow people are painting white flowers red.

"No, that's all wrong!"

I turn quickly to see a boy about eleven to thirteen sitting across a red throne, one leg draped over the arm rest. The boy has blond hair with specks of darkness twisting about the strands. His hair, barely shoulder length, moves in a breeze I don't feel. He has pale skin and wears a purple tailored suit with purple and red checkered shorts. He has knee high black socks on with old fashioned black dress shoes. The boy has white gloves on, along with an eyepatch over his right eye, and a red top hat with a purple ribbon on it. I move towards the boy as he says, "Wrong, wrong, wrong! I want the roses purple!"

"Are you.. The Prince of Wonderland, perhaps?" I ask.

He turns to me, red eye narrow, "Wonderland? I don't know what that is, but this is Lowland. As for a prince, I am. Allow me to welcome you, stranger. So says I, Prince Ecila of Lowland."

My eyes widen slightly, _I made it. But how to I tell the others?_


	6. Prince Ecila of Lowland

"I don't believe you," Prince Ecila says boredly, examining his black nails.

I frown, "But it's true! Your world is in trouble!"

He glances my way and sighs, "I highly doubt that. Lowland has never been involved witht he Light's Realm in all its history. Why would they bother us now? We've done nothing to them. So I don't believe you."

"Just.. Hear me out, Your Highness!" I try, "Please, what I say is true!"

He leans father back in his throne, his head hanging over the arm rest as he folds his hands across his stomach. As his tophat hits the ground I see the boy has white rabbit ears, and he orders one of the shadow people to hand the hat to him, and it does. He puts the hat over his face, "Start making sense, Light. You're boring me."

When he says I was boring him, the shadow people all turn and look at me. Feeling their gazes on me makes me nervous, "Look, Prince Ecila.. If my friends were here, they could tell you everything, show you proof.."

"And you cannot?" he asks.

I swallow, the shadows move closer to me. I try to keep my eyes on the little prince, "I.. Don't have the evidence with me."

He sits up, turning straight in his throne as he sets his hat back over his rabbit ears. He crosses his legs and grins at me, "Your friends are looking for a way here also, yes? We shall wait then. And while we wait, Light, please tell."

I swallow again as the shadows still move to surround us. Prince Ecila doesn't seem to notice this, but I do. The light within me recognizes the danger approaching. I can't attack though, that would lose me Prince Ecila's favor, and I can't afford to do that. I have to do my job while I wait for the others. I have to keep the prince interested, and get him to understand the danger his world is facing if H gets here.

"Well.. You see, there's this guy.. A guy in white.. He's trying to rid all worlds of darkness, he believes if only light remains, the worlds will be perfect," I start, "If he gets to this world, and destroys the darkness here, your world will cease to exist."

Prince Ecila frowns, "I see. And what do you think, Light?"

"I believe that the worlds of light and dark have to coexist in perfect balance. There can be no just light of just dark. And my name is Sora, Yoru Highness," I reply.

His smile is slow, and chilling, "Except for here, you mean? Soarah?"

I shiver, "I know the balance is different here. And.. My name is Sora, Your Highness. Ss-Ore-ah. _Sora_."

His smile grows and he leans back, "You know this, do you, Soarah?"

"I do. I understand the balance is different in this world; there's a small glimpse of light here, to maintain the original balance, and these worlds are overpowered in darkness. These worlds are where the original Heartless come from," I explain.

The prince tilts his head, "Original? Are there copies of our Heartless?"

I nod, "There are. A scientist called Ansem figured out how to use the balance of light and dark to create such creatures in our worlds. When he did, he opened rifts between here and there. So your heartless get into our world now. Or they used to through the Keyholes connecting all the worlds. The first copies have long since been gone."

He nods slowly, "How... _Intriguing_."

"Uh.. Could you please make the uh.. Shadows back up. I think they want to attack me.." I say.

Prince Ecila laughs, "Of course they do, you have light. They can sense it, even through that pendant you wear. It's a faint scent, but even I can catch it. And they might be responding to me. I don't do so well with... _Boring_ people. I'm all _'Off with their heads!_' You know?"

I shake my head quickly, "No, I don't know."

He chuckles and waves his hands and the shadows go back to painting white flowers purple. Prince Ecila smiles at me again, "Fell better? More at ease?"

"Yeah," I reply, _As much as I can being in a world of darkness. _

"Good," the prince nods, "Now, you said you had friends coming? Where are they? I do hate waiting, you know."

"I.. Didn't. I'm sure they'll be here any minute now," I reassure him, or myself.

He nods again, "Good. I hope they hurry up. I'm becoming quite bored again."

The shadows turn to me and I swallow. They return to work and I relax slightly. the Prince of Heartless doesn't seem to notice. I look around his courtroom and he eyes me wearily, "See something interesting?"

"This world.. It's... Different. it's not like anything I've really seen, and I've been to many, many worlds," I reply.

Prince Ecila nods, "So I see. I do hope my world doesn't strike you as evil. It isn't really. Of course, that depends on our depiction of evil itself."

I nod in return, "You're right. But no, I don't think this world is evil. It's just.. Well, dark."

He laughs, "I would hope so."

_The first Prince of Heartless I meet, and he's not as bad as I thought the Darkened Seven would be._

"Sora!" I hear Kairi call to me and I stand, turning to her voice. When I stand and turn, I see Kairi waving to me as she and Aqua and Ven come running my way.

"Guys!" I call then over, then turn to Prince Ecila, "These are the friends I was telling you about."

My friends come to stand around me and we all face Prince Ecila as he bows to them, "I am glad you arrived safely. Welcome to Lowland, strangers," he sits back on his throne, smiling, "It seems we have many things to discuss. Do make yourselves comfortable. So says I, Prince Ecila of Lowland."

"It's good to meet you, Your Highness. I am Aqua," Aqua is the first to address the dark prince.

Ventus speaks with a shrug, smiling, "I'm Ventus, but I usually go by Ven."

"My name is Kairi," said princess smiles at Ecila as Ven had.

Prince Ecila nods at their introductions, and his eyes hold Kairi's gaze. He smiles slowly, "Well, well. Look what we have here. Such a great light shines bright against my dark world. You certainly do not belong here."

Kairi looks nervous, "Is it that obvious?"

"Afraid so, darling. It's almost as if you have no darkness in you at all," Ecila replies.

Kairi frowns, "That's.. Because I don't."

Ecila's eyes widen and he leans forward lightly, "Truly?"

At Kairi's nod, he leans back, smiling lightly, "So he rumors are true."

"Rumors?" Aqua asks, "What rumors?"

"I thought you people weren't involved with the Light Realm," Ven frowns slightly.

"We're not involved, but that doesn't mean others aren't. Anywho, the rumors; I heard of seven pure lights throughout that realm, I believe they are commonly called Seven Princesses of Light? Or was it Heart?" Prince Ecila replies, "Funny, that is. We, down here, refer to our darkest rulers as the Darkened Seven, or the Seven Princes of Darkness, or Heartless. Whichever one, really."

"Yes, the names are similar," Kairi says, "The Seven Princesses of Heart are the only ones in all the worldd to be void of darkness completely."

"As we are the only ones in all our worlds to be void of any light. Completely," Ecila chuckles, "Might I presume you, Miss Kairi, are one of those rumored princesses?"

I frown, _He gets her name right but not mine? He was messing with me!_ I shake my head lightly, smiling slightly. _He certainly is different._ Kairi nods to answer Prince Ecila's question and his smile grows, "Isn't that... Quite intriguing?"

"Very.." Aqua frowns, watching Prince Ecila with narrowed eyes. _What's she thinking? _Prince Ecila stands suddenly, a strange smile on his lips. I don't know why, I can't figure it out, but I don't want to trust him. There's something about him that freaks me out. It could just be the fact that he's nothing but darkness, but... I don't want to trust him. Am I the only one who feels this way? I can't be..

The dark prince claps his hands once, "Well, is this all the information you can offer me about this figure in white that plans to destroy my world?"

Aqua stands, eyeing him dangerously, "Yes, for now."

Ventus stands with her, "What do you plan to do? Do you believe us?"

Kairi and I stand, but remain silent. Prince Ecila shrugs then, "I don't really know. It's so easy to say you're lying. And I do hate liars. After all, why would anyone bother to try and warn us of some light freak? We've never been warned before about the people from darkness attacking the light. Sure, we wouldn't help anyway, that's against our rules. Darks stays to dark and things stay the same. But when light turns to dark... Things change. I hate change."

_I don't like this. This isn't going the way we planned. He's turning on us!_ Seeing something flicker through the prince's visible eye, I immediately summon my Keyblade. _He's going to attack!_ When the familiar burst of light creates my weapon, the Shadows shriek and cower in shadows. Even the prince himself, moves behind his throne, out of the light. Kairi gasps, "Sora, it's glowing!"

I look at my blade and frown lightly at the bright glow covering my Kayblade. I gasp and turn to the entrance of the Prince's courtroom as the shadow people and swarms of Heartless I hadn't seem upon arrival, come running our way. Aqua turns to me, "Sora! Summoning that thing here has brought all the darkness of this world upon us!"

"We have to go! I don't think we have this Prince's favor anymore!" Ventus says.

"I had to summon it, I just.." I can't think of the right words, and we're running out of time.

"Hurry, let's get out of here!" Aqua summons her Rider and armor and Ven and Kairi follow her moves.

"Wait, they'll just follow us out of the rift, then what?!" I gasp, "We'll be putting Wonderland in danger!"

"We can't stay here, we'll be killed! And attacking the darkness here will lose what favor we have left with Prince Ecila!" Aqua replies.

"I don't think we have his favor anymore, I don't think we ever didi!" I frown, "He was going to attack us!"

"Will the rift close like a Keyhole?!" Kairi asks, hovering above the ground on her Rider.

I look around and groan, the Heartless and shadow people have surrounded us. But for some strange reason, they haven't attacked. My eyes widen when I realize why: _They're waiting for Prince Ecila to give the order of attack! _I find the dark prince still hiding behind his throne. I know what I have to do now. I have to get him to order his people not to follow us back to Wonderland. My friends think hope for this world is lost now, but maybe we can still save them. If we can close the rift...

"Prince Ecila!" I call.

The young prince sticks his head out from behind the throne, and he glares at me, "Get those _light_ things out of here!"

"Tell your people not to attack or follow us!" I say, "We'll leave, and we'll never come back, but you have to do something for us!"

He frowns, dropping his glare, "What do you want from me, Light?"

"Close the rift between Wonderland and Lowland forever," I explain.

His frown deepens, "Show me where such a thing exists and I shall. I don't want anymore of you _creatures_ roaming here!"

"_We're_ the creatures?" Ven tilts his head and Aqua growls, "Hush, Ven!"

I summon my Rider and armor and my friends and I lead Prince Ecila to the rift we came here through. He crosses his arms, "If I close this, no more lights will come?"

"You have my word," I say, "If it's closed, there's no way anyone from either realms can move through it to the other world. From Wonderland or Lowland."

"Fine, go!" he says, "If I find you back here, it's off with all of your heads!"

We fly through the rift and come out back in Wonderland. I hold my Keyblade up over the rift, watching as the light still glowing off the blade shows us the "rip" in the forest wall slowly closing until there's no evidence there ever was a rift here. I sigh and unsummon my Keyblade and turn to Aqua, "We failed on this world, so what do we do now?"

She frowns, "This is the only other world I know of that has a rift besides the Enchanted Dominion, and that world is gone now. So, we either search another world with a Princess of Light, or go back to the King for advice."

I groan softly, "I know we should search a new world.. But I kind of want to see how Riku's doing."

"Me, too," Kairi says.

Aqua nods, "Okay, we'll head back then. Any objections, Ventus?"

Ven shakes his head, and we get back on our Riders and we head back to the King's homeworld. We land and unsummon our armor. Finding our way to the King's study, we go right in. I call out for King Mickey, but I can't find him. I can't find Riku either. I frown and look around the study. Figuring he's somewhere else in the castle, we split up to look for him. I go alone into the throne room, and standing in front of Mickey's throne, is H.


	7. Running Out of Time

"H!" I gasp.

H smiles, "Hello again. I'm glad it is you who found me here, Sora."

I frown, "why? What do you want? Why are you here?"

"I suspect you already know why I'm here: To rid this world of its darkness. As for what I want, my offer still stands," he replies.

"How many times do I have to refuse you before you get it?! I'm not joining you!" I growl.

"You will in good time, I hope. Because if you keep fighting a losing battle, I'd have to destroy you. And I'd hate to lose such a worthy candidate for my side. I don't need an army to rid the worlds of darkness, just a good partner," H says.

"You really are crazy," I glare at him.

He shakes his head, smirking, "Poor boy, you're being misled. Light is meant to rule, not darkness. You're fighting for the wrong side, Sora."

"I know what's right, and what you're doing is not right, H!" I say.

"You'll understand soon enough, I'll hope. I really don't want to play dirty," he sighs.

"Play dirty?" I eye him wearily.

His smile widens, "You will join me, Sora. Voluntarily, or by forceful circumstances."

"What?" I ask, "You'd actually try to force me into joining you? Why would you think I would _ever_ do that?!"

"Let me state this plainly," he says, "You will join me or you will never see precious king again. Oh, and let's not forget that I have your best friend's life in the palm of my hand."

"Riku?! King Mickey?!" I gasp, "Release them!"

"I will, _if_ you join me," H grins and I frown, _What do I do? _

"Don't you dare agree to join him!"

I turn with a soft gasp, "Y-Your Majesty?!"

"How did you get out?" H frowns.

King Mickey comes up beside me, and he doesn't look very happy, "Get off my world, H. You are not welcome here."

"I'm not welcome anywhere really, not even on the world I come from," H chuckles.

"What world were you from?" I ask.

H stares at me, "That is not important. What is important, is the fact that I'm going to rid this world of its dark afflictions."

"You will not destroy my world!" Mickey replies.

I frown, "Now tell me where Riku is!"

H's smile returns, "If only I could remember where I had put him. And the device I created to steal the awful darkness from this world while I work on a different world. You better hurry if you want to find him before he's destroyed."

I gasp and H bows, "See you soon," and he disappears in a blast of light that makes me have to cover my face. Mickey covers his face as well, and when the light fades, he turns to me, "We have to find Riku!"

"I'll look for Riku, you look for the device H planted here!" I say, running from the room.

Mickey follows me out, "Call if you need me, I'll come running!"

"Right!" I say, running off down the corridor, towards the inner castle.

I start to call out for Riku, but I don't when I remember that Riku is under a sleep spell the King put on him. I groan softly and go through every room I come to, trying to find him. After the third room I run into Aqua. She gasps, "Sora? You look like you saw a ghost..?"

"H was here! He has a device rigged to go off soon, and it will steal the darkness from this world! Not only that, but Riku's been hidden somewhere, and if we don't find him before that device goes off, he'll die!" I explain, talking very quickly.

Aqua puts a hand on my shoulder, "Whoa, there. Slow down. A device? Riku's in danger?"

I nod quickly, "You have to help me look for him!"

"What about the King?" she asks.

"He's fine, he's looking for the device," I reply, "We have to hurry!"

She nods, "I'll look out for him and the device while I try to find Kairi and Ven."

I nod and she leaves the room and I go a different way. The castle is huge, and finding two things that could be on different sides of the castle in only a certain amount of time is very challenging. I don't have much time, and Riku's life rides on my finding him or the device before it goes off is freaking me out. _What if I don't find it? What if he dies? I can't be the reason for his death! I can't! _

_No, calm down, Sora. Chill out, think. You can do this, you can save him, just calm down and think. That's it, all I have to do is think. Where would I hide the device if I wanted to destroy the world without having anyone easily find it? _I smile as I figure out the last place we would look for H's device: It has to be in King Mickey's study! I turn around and head back the way I can. I'm sure it's there, and if it isn't, it could only be in the throne room. It's the only places we would never think of searching until it was too late.

I finally get back to the King's study, and I look everywhere I can think of before accidentally opening a secret door beside a bookcase. I go into the secret room and I look around the dark room quickly. I find a light switch and flip it, lighting the room, revealing blue walls, an alter-like thing near the far wall, and some kind of computer to the right. I run up to the alter-thing and find a basketball sized glowing robotic sphere. _The device. _

I go to grab it and it burns my hand. I pull back, hissing softly in pain and shake my injured hand. I sigh, "So now what?"

"Sora?" I hear Kairi call.

I leave the secret room and the study, finding her in the hall. She smiles lightly, "Find anything?"

"Did Aqua fill you in?" I ask.

"No, the King did," she replies, then repeats, "Find anything?"

"I found the device, but I don't know how to shut it down. I can't touch it," I show her my lightly burned hand, "We have to do something, now."

She nods, "But what, if we can't touch it?"

"There has to be a way. We'll find it," I say, heading back to the secret room. Kairi follows me silently, and we stare at the device in bewilderment. _Way to go, Sora. You're smart enough to find the life-threatening device, but not smart enough to figure out how to destroy it._ I frown and summon my Keyblade, _Maybe I can get rid of it with the power of the Keyblade? It's worth a try. _I point the blade at the device and shoot a beam of light from the Keyblade at the device. _Please let this work._

The beam of light hits the device and makes a bright glow that makes Kairi and I have to cover out eyes. Kairi gasps, "What were you trying to do?"

"I was trying to destroy that thing. I guess it didn't work," I frown, staring at the device, which has opened itself, revealing a fist-sized glowing ball of darkness.

"That must be the darkness from Radiant Gardens. H must be gathering all the darkness together," Kairi says.

My frown deepens, "Why would he do that? I thought he just wanted to destroy the darkness, why is he compressing it like this? What could he use it for?"

"I don't know, and right now, I don't care. We have to figure out how to destroy this thing before it goes off!" Kairi replies.

I groan softly, "I doubt it has an off switch."

Kairi frowns, "It has to be shut down _somehow!_"

"I don't know how!" I sigh, "But we have to find a way."

She nods and moves closer to the device, examining it. I do as she does, hoping to figure something out. _We should get King Mickey. He'll know how to turn this thing off. But I don't know how much time we have. We might not have enough time to find him and get him back here._ Kairi seems to read my mind when she suggests we find the King. I shake my head, "There's not enough time. You know what? Go ahead and find him. I'll stay here and try to find a way to shut this thing down. Hurry!"

She nods and runs off. I glare at the dark ball inside the opened device, "Why is this so complicated? I don't like this, I know nothing about it."

I groan and point my Keyblade at the darkness, "This could kill it."

I shoot another beam of light and it hits the darkness, breaking parts, sending light flowing out in all directions. I gasp as I'm thrown back by the sudden wave of energy that comes from the darkness when my light blast destroys it from the inside. I hit the wall and groan, slumping over. I shake my head and quickly stand up, looking towards the device. I sigh in relief when I see that the device has been destroyed. _How ironic it is to have someone who swears pure light get his darkness stealing device destroyed by darkness._

My eyes widen and I gasp, "Riku!" I run from the study and down the corridor calling for my friends. I meet up with them in a random room in the east wing of the castle. Kairi is with them, which makes me happy. I sigh in relief and exhaustion from running, bending over to catch my breath, "I... Destroyed... The device..."

"So you did cause that explosion?" Ventus asks.

"It wasn't really an explosion, more like a mini earthquake," Aqua sighs, "Either way, good work."

I nod, standing straight now, "So, did you guys find Riku, yet?"

"Yes," King Mickey replies.

I smile, "Really? Is he okay?"

"He will be, but there's still things to be done. He's still in danger from himself," King Mickey replies.

I frown, "What exactly is wrong with him? I know it's something that has to do with his darkness leaking from the lock he put on his heart to keep the darkness under his full control."

"That's part of the problem," The King replies, "But you see, there's more. The balance of light and dark has to remain equal. It it doesn't in the worlds, the darkness in the hearts of people will try to fix the change, which could destroy the heart of the person honing the darkness. In Riku's case, when H started taking the darkness from Radiant Gardens, his darkness tried to make up the change, and it was tearing at his heart.

To ease the pain on his heart, Riku let the lock slip, releasing his darkness, which started to take over him because it was no longer in his control. I've stilled the darkness leaking from his heart's lock, but it won't last for long. His heart will have to be saved, or we'll lose the Riku we know, or his heart will be destroyed. The lock he put on his heart will have to be put back into its right place if we want to save him. But I can't do that by myself, I have to keep his darkness stilled, or he could wake up evil."

"What can we do to help you save him?" Kairi asks.

"Someone has to go into his heart itself and find the lock and fix it. That person will have to put the leaked darkness back where it belongs," King Mickey replies, "There's a little more information than I gave before. Also, the only people I think would be able to do it would be Kairi or-"

"I'll do it," I cut the King off, determination filling me, _I'm going to save him. _


End file.
